Document Type
Report
Department
Graduate School of Media and Communications
Abstract
This study investigated the prevalence, causes, and impact of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women in sports across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study combined quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews to explore the scale of SGBV, its root causes, and the lived experiences of female athletes. A cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted, with data collected from athletes, coaches, administrators, and sports officials from federations and associations in the three countries. Stratified and purposive sampling techniques at the federations, clubs and within the clubs was used and this ensured representation at multiple levels of the sports ecosystem, with a total of 748 survey respondents and 18 in-depth interviews. From a sample of the top 20 purposively selected federations and associations in each of the three countries, 15 from Kenya participated, nine from Uganda and eight from Tanzania, which gives a total of 32 federations/associations. At both the federations and clubs’ levels, the researchers targeted all the female staff, athletes, coaches, team officials and administrators and 50% of the male staff in the same positions who had at least five years of experience at the federations or respective clubs. The findings indicate that SGBV is prevalent in sports and that the major perpetrators are people close to the athletes, given that coaches, team officials and teammates account for 55% of reported notorious perpetrators in East Africa. Drawing from survey data and in-depth interviews with athletes, coaches, and stakeholders, the research reveals that SGBV in sports is a systemic issue reinforced by entrenched patriarchal norms, leadership and operations that privileges and protects men in positions of authority, weak accountability structures, and a pervasive culture of silence within sports institutions. Female athletes, particularly the naïve ones at the beginning of their budding sports careers and those in elite or dependent positions, are especially vulnerable to exploitation by coaches and officials who take advantage of the limited opportunities and abuse athletes. While respondents identified a range of interventions, education and awareness emerged as the most widely called for approach, underscoring a strong belief that lack of knowledge and normalised abuse are major barriers to change. The study concludes that effective prevention and response to SGBV in East African sports requires a multi-pronged strategy anchored on continuous education, policy enforcement, and inclusive governance to dismantle harmful power dynamics and most importantly institute all these measures at the federations/association and club/camp levels to create safer environments for women and girls in sports. Further, there is a need for enhanced funding of federations and associations to support safety and security, efficient reporting mechanisms and structural interventions, especially in provision of training equipment and kits, to protect female athletes and reduce dependency-driven abuse.
Recommended Citation
Owilla, Hesbon Hansen, Booker, Nancy A., Nyabuga, George, Mwampanga, Tulinagwe, Agasha, Samantha, Awino, Liz and Smith, Ella. (2025). Sexual and gender-based violence against women in sports: prevalence, impact, and interventions in East Africa. Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Included in
Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Sports Studies Commons, Women's Studies Commons